Time Heals Us All
by Astronomer Always
Summary: The healing process is one that shouldn't be gone through by anyone alone.  Sequel to Time and Time Again.
1. A Little Therapy

So here we are! That little sequel I promised. This story is a little less depressing than the last on so hoorays for that, right?

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><p>"So how are you feeling today, TJ?"<p>

"The same as last week Dr. Million…"

"You know, you're here to sort through everything that has happened."

"I know. But there isn't anything to sort through."

Laying back in one of those fancy chairs that always seemed to be in therapist's offices, TJ occupied himself with playing with one the toys that sat in the corner. It was that little cube where you put the peg in the right shaped whole. But it was serving its purpose; distracting him from being here. Today was Monday, and that meant two things. One, it's only the first day of a week of therapy he didn't want to go to. And two, he had to go through this alone; Monday meant therapy alone, Wednesday was for therapy with his friends, and Friday was family therapy. He was sure they were all going to suck.

"Now, we've already been through this," Said Dr. Million. "After going through what you have, your parents feel that it's necessary for you to be here, so tell me. What's on your mind?"

"Not that it's anything against you, but I'm not comfortable here." TJ said.

"And why do you feel like that?"

"Think about it. You're a grown up. I'm a kid. We're in a room with a locked door. I really don't feel safe in here with you."

"Oh, well that's perfectly understandable. If it makes you feel better that big mirror right there," He paused and pointed to a mirror that took a big chunk of the wall. "That's a one-way mirror, and your parents are on the other side. They can see if anything happens you know."

"Really?"

"That's right. Does that make you feel safe?"

"A little," He said as he lay back on the couch. "So what am I supposed to be talking about?"

"Anything that's on your mind. Anything at all."

"Um…" TJ searched his mind for something he felt he should mention. Something from the last three weeks made sense. He, his friends, and his parents have been very busy. "People keep feeling bad for me and it's starting to get on my nerves."

"How so?"

"They keep saying how sorry they are for me and how brave I must've been to tell and they keep giving me presents…." He said. "I don't want their pity."

"They might really feel bad about what happened to you."

"I don't want them to pity me. I'm still alive aren't I?"

"That's right, and we're all thankful for that. Who exactly pities you?"

"Other kids and their parents." TJ said. "They all want me to recover but they keep reminding me that it happened. Do you know what I'm trying to say here?" Dr. Million nodded. The rest his time here was spend ranting about the people he now found annoy and why. This led him to pace the room and punch the air a few times. Eventually he drifted into the topic of his hat and jacket that still remained with Sam and Chauncey.

"I used to have a hat and jacket. I loved that hat, it was my identity." He said.

"Your identity? You must've had a good reason to give it away."

"I gave it to Chauncey and Sam after I didn't feel like myself anymore…"

"And who are they?"

"My new friends. Sam has red hair and freckles all over her. She reminds me of another one of my friends sometimes, except she's not as aggressive. And Chauncey and curly blonde hair and dimples. Every time he smiles he blushes….he has my hat and Sam has my jacket."

"Tell me more about these two."

"I met them in the hospital. We kept talking after my friends left for a while."

"How do your old friends feel about them?"

"I dunno. They only met once…"

"I see. Well, TJ thank you for opening up today. Our time is up, but I'll see you and your friends on Wednesday."

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><p>Please review.<p> 


	2. Two Front Teeth

I have nothing to say here. I just hope you all enjoy that chapter.

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><p>The only thing that made the days with therapy bearable was when the actual therapy was over with. On those days, he was able to see his friends, who were beginning to reconcile. However when they did meet, an awkward silence fell over them as none of them knew what to start a conversation about. So they sat on the curb of a sidewalk, each waiting for someone else to start talking.<p>

"I hate therapy by myself," Said TJ. "I always end up talking even though I don't want to."

"Well the purpose of therapy is to work through underlying issues that you may have," Said Gretchen. "You're supposed to talk."

"I don't have any issues," He said. "I just want people to stop reminding me about the whole thing. You guys coming to therapy with me Wednesday?"

"I don't see why we have to go," Spinelli said. "We're not the one with the problem."

"Spinelli—"

"Hey!" He was cut off by a voice coming from down the street. Looking, they could see Sam and Chauncey walking towards them. Chauncey still wore TJ's red hat on his head backwards and Sam had his jacket tied around her waist by the sleeves. TJ waved them over and they ran the rest of the way. "What are you all doing?"

"We were talking until you came!" Spinelli snapped.

"Don't yell at him!" Sam said, stepping in front of Chauncey.

"And what are you gonna do about it?" Said Spinelli as she stood up.

"This!" With that Sam gave her a shove. In seconds the two girls had to be restrained to avoid a vicious fight that would've been akin to world war three. The only two not holding them back were TJ and Chauncey; they both honestly wanted to see who would win. TJ would've bet for Spinelli at first, but began to think that anyone who challenged her must know what they were going up against, so he was willing to say that Sam would've held her ground pretty well.

Not wanting to see who would, they took this opportunity to walk away. TJ started to wonder exactly why is friends seemed so uncomfortable around them. If anything, he thought that he should feel uncomfortable around them; he was the one that hit, pushed, and yelled at them. Then his figured he would leave this for Wednesday, if they decide to come to therapy with him. Running his fingers through his hair he looked at his hat as it rested on Chauncey's head. He had to admit, it did look good on him.

"Anything interesting on my face?" Chauncey asked with a blushing smile.

"Huh?"

"You're staring at me."

"Oh, sorry," TJ looked away and focused on the path in front of him.

"You know you never actually introduced us to your friends," Chauncey said. "They seem nice."

"Most of them," he mumbled.

"Most?"

"It's Spinelli," He said. "She won't let this go. She even said that they shouldn't have to go to the therapy with me because they're not the ones with the 'problem.' Last time I checked this affected us all! And I don't have a problem! I just think people should leave me alone to sort through this myself. Let me figure out what's going on in my mind. I understand myself more than anyone, right?"

"Wow," said Chauncey. "I hope you open up this much in therapy."

"Not really," He said. "Just you. I think I trust you more than the therapist. I dunno why though…."

"It's okay. What are friends for, right?" He nodded, and Chauncey pulled him into a hug. It was a surprise to TJ at first, but he hugged back; lately hugs made him feel safe. The two of them hugged a little tighter and it lasted a little longer than they both expected. They only broke the hug by the sound of the others calling for them.

"Hey where did you two go?" Shouted Sam as everyone turned the corner to meet them. By then Chauncey and TJ had broken the hug.

"We were thinking of something to do," TJ lied. "Are you and Spinelli done fighting?"

"Yeah, yeah," Spinelli said. "She just better say out of my way!"

"That's not gonna be a problem, pigtails," Sam said. "So what'd you two come up with?"

"Ah, we thought maybe we could go to the park or something," Chauncey said. "Maybe play ice tag or something, I dunno.."

"What's ice tag?" Vince asked.

"The greatest game in the world! C'mon, we'll show you!"

For the rest of the day they spent their time playing ice tag, which was much like regular tag, but instead of one person tagging, it was two and whoever was tagged had to stand still because they were 'frozen.' The others had to touch who was frozen to unfreeze them at the risk of being tagged themselves. Everyone each had their own element to add to the game, and therefore everyone enjoyed it; though Chauncey tripped and fell face first onto a small stone that hit his front teeth at just the right angle to split them. He had to step out of the game after that.

Once it was over and they were too tired to play anymore they all head their own way home. Before he headed out, TJ pulled Chauncey aside.

"Are you okay?" TJ asked him.

"Yeah, I'm okay. You asked me ten times before!" Chauncey said with a laugh.

"So, um, do you wanna come over my house tomorrow?"

"Sure, everyone's gonna be there, right?"

"Well, no. I was hoping that we would just play by ourselves….."

"Oh, okay." Chauncey said. "I'll see you tomorrow then." Going their separate ways they waved each other goodbye.


	3. Lisps are Cute

Donna nnov: Short answer, no. Long answer, yes and no; it is, and it isn't. It's complicated, okay? :P I really can't say more than that without telling you the whole story.

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><p>Unfortunately for TJ, Tuesdays meant a full day of school. Fortunately it meant he didn't have to go to therapy, but it did mean that he would have to deal with the unwanted sympathy that others felt the need to express. All before class even started too, so it meant that any attempt at having a normal day was thrown out the window before the day even began.<p>

He still didn't understand why they felt to say these things after three weeks; the first week should've been enough in his mind. Soon he began to think maybe he somehow looked miserable and was unintentionally drawing their sympathy towards him so he started to talk more to get them to leave him alone. This backfired, as everyone began to think he was covering up what was bothering him, and dropped even more pity on the child.

It was starting to irritate him.

The only real break he got from it was class, and even then he could hear the other student's whispers. Part of him wanted to yell at them to pick something else to obsess over and to stop treating him like a charity case. And he was pretty sure that he could do it and not get in trouble; what were they going to do, send him the principal's office? Not a chance.

He was happy that his own friends didn't give him too much pity; they already gave most of it before he had actually told. But he could still feel some tension in the group. Just having a conversation seemed to be the most difficult thing to do lately. And he wasn't even sure if he wanted to because Spinelli always seemed to have something to say and that something was always the wrong thing. With this all on his mind, it did look like they needed to go to therapy.

Once recess came around, he couldn't avoid them without looking like he was hiding more secrets, and after seeing what happens when they think that, he wasn't going to take his chances. So he stuck with them. Even then the group didn't do much, just sit on the stairs, waiting and it started to make him angry. Not a normal angry, but the funny kind of angry where you want to be angry, but still can't ignore the humor in the situation. It was the silence that made him feel that way, because in his experience, silence didn't always lead to something good, so he broke the silence.

"Is anyone going to say anything?" He asked the group. "Because I don't want to just sit here all recess." No one said anything and just looked at him. "Really? Nobody has anything to say? Nobody?" Still, no one talked. "Well I'm going to talk 'because silence gets on my nerves. It doesn't really help that it's coming from you guys. Let's see, I gave my hat and jacket away in case you all haven't noticed. I mean you haven't really said anything about it so I'm not sure if you noticed or not. Oh, I just found out last night this whole therapy thing is going to last for at least another six months so that just cheered me up. But don't worry, you guys only have to go once a week, so that's a good thing right? I mean I don't want my friends to go through any more trouble than they have to! I mean, starting a conversation seems like too much trouble, I can't imagine what being alone a room would be like for you guys!" After his rant he walked off, to get a moment to himself. Luckily it had the desired affect and the others didn't follow for the rest of the day.

After school, he left, telling them his mother wanted him home right after school. Though it was a lie; he just wanted to spend time after school with Chauncey today. Twenty minutes of waiting and Chauncey had arrived at his house and now they sat in his backyard having an actual conversation.

"I wish they would stop feeling awkward around me," TJ said. "I just want to go back to before this all happened, playing kickball and stuff. I can't even do that because whoever we go up against _lets_ us win 'cause they feel _bad_ for me."

"You should tell them not to pity you anymore," Chauncey said.

"I did, but they still do!" TJ paused and thought about what Chauncey said. "Why are you talking funny?"

"Like what?'

"Like that! You sound like you're putting an 's' in everything you say."

"I think I got a lisp from my teeth being bent…." Chauncey tapped at his two front teeth. "I think that's why. My aunt says I might need braces to fix them…."

"It's cute though…" He paused, as that comment came out of nowhere.

"You think it's cute?" Chauncey asked. He nodded.

"I dunno why I said that. I just came out…."

"Thanks."

The rest of their time was spent discussing who was in the wrong, TJ or his friends. Chauncey tried to take a neutral stance, but found it hard since he was only hearing one side, a side that had just called him cute and the thought as cute himself. Eventually Chauncey had told him to talk about this with the therapist tomorrow and TJ said he would, though he said he wasn't going to make any promises. Around six o'clock, they said goodbyes with another hug that lasted a little longer than the last.


	4. Feelings

Donna nnov: To answer your question, I would say no for two reasons. One is because their just kids here, he doesn't realize what he's saying and how that might affect Chauncey. I mean he's just a kid. And two would be that he really did think it was cute at the moment.

RandallXSpinelli: He doesn't really _love_ TJ as much as he _likes_ him. I don't think that kids at this age can be in as much love as they sometimes claim they are. And he does have a lot of pride doesn't he? We'll just have to fix that. Sam only acted that way because Chauncey cannot defend himself and he's like a little brother to her so she's going to protect him the way she sees fit. Man that was a lot to say…..

Read on!

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><p>When Wednesday rolled around, TJ found himself sitting on the floor of Dr. Million's office. The only difference between today and Monday was that his friends, minus Sam and Chauncey, were there as well. Today was meant to be group therapy and each of them, according to Dr. Million, was supposed to sort through any grievances, sadness, or other problems that has arisen after the Prickly fiasco. TJ however, wasn't saying much or even paying attention. No, he was busy in his own thoughts.<p>

Those thoughts mostly involved what happened yesterday with Chauncey.

It was such a sudden thing when he had called Chauncey's new lisp cute. He hadn't planned to, it just slipped out. He also noticed when Chauncey blushed when he said thanks. He wondered why him blushing stuck in his head so much. It wasn't like it was an uncommon thing for people to do; they do it all the time. But on Chauncey, it looked cuter. Along with the blushing and lisp, his blonde curls, dimples, and chubby cheeks, he could say that the guy looked adorable.

'Where did that come from,' He asked himself. 'I think Chauncey's adorable?'

His thoughts soon returned to yesterday, just before Chauncey left for home. He remembered that just as Chauncey stepped out of his backyard he had turned around and said that he thought his freckles with his brown hair was cute, and then he left. He found it hard to stop smiling for a while after that. Even at the thought of what Chauncey said made him smile.

"Do you have anything to say, TJ?" Dr. Million asked him.

"Huh?"

"You're smiling. Is there any reason you're smiling?"  
>"No," He lied. "Not really. I haven't been paying attention. What are we talking about?"<p>

"Spinelli here brought up that your friends felt sort of betrayed because you didn't tell them that this was happening," Dr. Million explained. "How does that make you feel?"

"I guess they can feel like that," Said TJ. "But I did what I thought was right and I'm not apologizing for that."

"But you said if it was us, you would tell," Gus stated.

"Prickly wouldn't have done this to you guys," Said TJ. "He picked me for a reason."

"And what reason would that be, TJ?" asked Dr. Million.

"He knew that I would be willing to go through this to protect them," He explained. "And that they would come to me if it happened to them and that I would tell. So it made more sense to target me. That and he preferred boys to girls."

"Did he tell you this?"

"No, but I figured that would be why." Dr. Million nodded. "Can you all agree to tell each other if anything serious happens to you?" They all nodded. "Good. Now, I want to talk about what you were thinking about, TJ. When you were smiling."

"I-it was nothing," Said TJ.

"Was it really?"

"I was thinking about my other friends."

"That would be Sam and Chauncey correct?" TJ nodded. "Have you all met them?" He asked the others.

"We've met them when TJ decide to tell us everything," Said Gretchen.

"Do you get along with them?"

"I don't like the girl," Spinelli said. "She thinks she can fight me! Like that'll ever happen!"

"That's because you snapped at Chauncey," TJ told him. "She and Chauncey are really close and if you snap at him she's gonna defend him. Most of the time she just has a smart mouth."

"And what about Chauncey?" Dr. Million asked.

"He seemed really shy," said Mikey,

"He didn't say much to any of us," Said Vince. "Just to TJ and Sam."

"Is that true?" Dr. Million asked, writing on his clipboard.

"Yeah," TJ said. "We just get along better. I don't know why he's so shy around you all. I'll ask him about it when I see him tomorrow, okay?"

"That's a good idea. Now our time is up," Dr. Million told them. "But this weekend I want you all to have a sleepover, it doesn't matter at whose house, and I want you all to try and act like you all did before all of this. If for any reason it feels odd, I want you all to write that down, and bring it to the next group session on Wednesday." They all left, agreeing to sleep over at TJ's house on Saturday.

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><p>Please review!<p> 


	5. Boys Will Be Boys

donna nnov: Yes you are right. That is how group therapy is, and usually other kids who have been through the same thing would be there. But this is going to be one of those things where you have to just roll with it. :P I actually have no idea what's going to happen Saturday with those kids. What do you expect?

RandallXSpinelli: The thing with Mikey is, I find it the hardest to write him. I honestly try to give him something say way it is really difficult for me. And to answer your queston, yes you might be the only one who can see that. :P After reading your review I tried to picture it but I can't. Maybe it was because of the story I wrote but I can't see it. THe closest I can get to that his him looking up to him as a father figure or role model. Someone would have to write a pretty good fic to convince me.

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><p>After school on Thursday, TJ met up with Chauncey; Sam was going to be their but remembered that she had singing lessons and promised to hang out with them next time. Not wanting them to feel awkward around him, TJ convinced the others to let him and Chauncey have time alone today so he can see why Chauncey was so shy. Agreeing, they left him; although that wasn't the only reason he wanted to hang out with Chauncey alone.<p>

He had questions, though he didn't know exactly how he was going to ask them, about what had happened Tuesday. Following a night of thinking, he was now aware that he had some sort of 'feelings' for the blonde. He couldn't explain why, but he felt safer with him around, and it was much easier to divulge whatever was on his mind to him. Those things alone wouldn't have leaded him to his conclusion, but thinking that Chauncey was cute did.

Now they sat in silence in TJ's backyard, pointing out the clouds and what they looked like.

"That one looks like a dog!" Chauncey said enthusiastically.

"Mm-hmm." TJ mumbled

"And that one looks like a train!"

"Yep."

"What's wrong?" Chauncey asked, rolling over to face him. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No," TJ told him assuringly. "You didn't do anything. It's just that I have something on my mind." Up to this point, TJ debated in his mind whether or not to tell Chauncey about his feelings. On one hand, he argued that he didn't want to keep secrets. It also would've become harder to be around Chauncey with his feelings arising at the sight of him. Then there was the fact that Chauncey had called him cute as well. On the other hand, just because Chauncey liked boys and called him cute, it didn't necessarily mean that he like liked him; he could've just been being polite. That or he really did find him cute the same way a guy might think a girl was pretty but not be attracted to them. Also, things might become weird between them if the feelings weren't mutual and he didn't want Chauncey to be shy around him.

"What is it?" Chauncey asked.

"You have to promise that things won't get weird between us," TJ said.

"Yeah, sure. I promise." The two of them sat up and faced each other.

"I think I like you," He said.

"I like you too," Chauncey laughed. "Is that it?"

"No I mean I _really_ like you. I have a crush on you, Chauncey," TJ explained. He braced himself for the worse. Instead he heard a light laugh. "What's so funny?"

"That makes me so happy," Chauncey said in between chuckles.

"Why?"

"I like you too," He said. "I was worried to tell you because I didn't know how you would react." The shared a laugh, both relieved that they had the reactions they each hoped for. Once the laughter died down, the awkward silence fell in-between them again.

"You blush a lot," TJ said, breaking the silence.

"No I don't," Chauncey defended.

"Yes you do! Almost everything makes you blush." TJ said.

"I'm not right now," Chauncey said.

"I can make you blush," TJ said.

"No you can't!" By now the two of them were standing up.

"Yes I can!" TJ said. "Watch!" Soon he was chasing Chauncey around the yard, trying to make him blush to prove a point. After a few minutes he thought he wasn't going to catch the blonde, but did. He tried tickling, but it only made Chauncey laugh. Without much thinking he kissed him on the cheek. Chauncey blushed the deepest red he ever had in his life. Once he realized what he was doing he pulled away.

"I-I'm sorry," TJ apologized. "I didn't mean to…"

"It's okay," Chauncey said as he continued to blush and touched the spot where he was kissed. "Can we do that again? On the lips?" He nodded and the two slowly approached one another. They leaned into a kiss that neither of them would regret. The kiss was soft, and it was only made better by the gentle hug the two pulled themselves into. After a minute they pulled apart, and Chauncey's green eyes stared into TJ's blue ones.

"I liked it," Chauncey said, blushing.

"Me too." TJ said. They let go of one another and have a light chuckle.

"So um, how was therapy?" Chauncey asked.

"It was better than I thought it would be," TJ said. "I thought Spinelli was going to bring up the whole me 'liking' what was happening to me. I'm glad she didn't." Most of the nervousness that he had about wendsday had come from the fear of that being brought up. He was sure that if it was, most of the session would've been spent arguing with Spinelli over the matter. Thankfully it didn't and the session went by peacefully and they all made progress.

"_Liking _it?" Chauncey pondered. "What did he do?"

"I can't tell you…."

"But I'm your boyfriend," Chauncey said with caution. "I mean, we are dating now, right?"

"Yeah…"

"So we shouldn't keep secrets from one another." Chauncey reasoned. "So show me."

"Promise you won't get mad?" TJ asked him.

"I promise."

"Okay, come here."

~*~*MEANWHILE~*~*

Inside the house, TJ's mother had just finished putting away the laundry and headed downstairs to start making dinner. While making her way to the kitchen, she figured that she could check on the boys while she was at it, although she knew it probably wasn't necessary. She knew her son better than he knew himself and figured that they would probably be playing catch, tag, or some other childish game.

So it was quite the shock when she looked out the door to the backyard and saw her son with his hand down another boys pants.

"TJ STOP THAT!" She yelled at her son. The two of them looked up at her in shock. "STOP THAT RIGHT NOW!" TJ reacted to his mother's orders and did what he was told as Chauncey zipped his pants. By then, his mother had made her way over to them. "Chauncey you need to go home right now…."

"Oh okay," Chauncey said sadly. "I'll see you later TJ." Then he left, giving him a wave on his way.

"TJ you are not supposed to do that," She told him as she knelt down to his height.

"What did I do?" He asked her.

"You don't know what you were doing?" He shook his head. "That's okay," She said, hugging him. "That's okay, you didn't know. But you can't do that to others, TJ."

"But why?"

"Oh I wish I could tell you," She told him.


	6. The M Word

*Looks around* I hope you all enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Donna nnov: Yes, she was terrified. :P sorry I gave you a whole page of fluffiness and ended it with a 'WOAH.'

RandallXSpinelli: Okay so there is two parts for me to reply to. First, she wasn't aware of their relationship at the time so that didn't play a factor in her reaction. And about him knowing, it's the 90's. I like to imagine that in the 90's kids kept their innocence about the subject for a little longer. The second part is answered in this chapter.

Read On!

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><p>With the events of yesterday afternoon still fresh on their minds, TJ and his mother and father were in the office of Dr. Million going over what exactly what happened. This was done mostly by his parents because the family therapy was used to tell Dr. Millions their concerns in any changes they've seen in their son's behavior. While talking to the therapist, they sent TJ to play in the corner, of which now had several buckets of Legos, with a pair of headphone playing music on his ears. The headphones were so serve the purpose of blocking out the conversation that his parents were having with Dr. Million. Wanting to know what they were talking about, TJ turned off the CD they had had him listening to, but kept the headphones on so they wouldn't know. Unbeknownst to him, Dr. Million knew he had turned them off and was aware that he was listening to the conversation.<p>

"Why would he do that to one of his friends," His mother asked, despite for answers. "He isn't starting to think that this is normal, is he?"

"I don't believe so," Dr. Million said. "Has he ever done this before?"

"Not that I know of..."

"Hmm, something like this," Dr. Million. "Is a little tricky. Along with what he has been through, he's at that age where he's curious about these things. Though it is reasonable to connect this to the abuse he's been through. Have you given him _the talk_?"

"We were hoping to wait another year before that," His father said.

"Should we tell him now? After yesterday, we're not sure," His mother asked.

"That would be a good idea," Dr. Million. "Your son is a smart kid. I think he can handle it. Who exactly was he doing this to?"

"A friend of his named Chauncey," He mother said.

"Ahh, he's told me about Chauncey," Said Dr. Million writing on his clipboard. "Seems a little strange that he would do that to a friend he had just met. Does he appear to treat Chauncey differently from his other friends?"

"No, not aside from this," Said his father. "Does it matter?"

"Maybe. Did Chauncey look like he was upset when you caught them?"

"No, they both just looked shocked that I caught them," Said his mother.

"Well, I that case, I think we need to ask your son a few questions. Is that okay?" his parents nodded. With their approval Dr. Million walked over to TJ and tapped his shoulder because he didn't want him to know that he knew he was listening. After taking the headphones off he sat on the couch between his parents. "TJ your parents are worried about what happened yesterday with Chauncey. Can you tell us what happened?"

"I told him how I was happy that my other friends didn't bring up something in therapy," Said TJ.

"What would that be?"

"About me liking what happened to me," He said. "They looked through the window to the principals office and it they said it looked like I was enjoying it. They said that that's the reason I didn't tell them and I said it wasn't my fault it felt good. Then they started asking what was it and I didn't want to tell them. Yesterday I showed Chauncey what it was."

"And why did you trust Chauncey but not the friends you've known for a longer time?"

"He didn't constantly ask me to," Said TJ. "And he promised not to get mad."

"Why did he promise?"

"'Cause he my boyfriend."

"Do you mean like a male friend?"

"No, we're dating," He stated. "Is that a problem?" He looked up from his hands to Dr. Million, and then to the worried faces of his parents.

"TJ," his mother started. "Are you sure? Do you know what you're doing?"

"I'm pretty sure," Said TJ. "I like him a lot and he likes me. We kissed too. Is something wrong?" His parents looked at him, not sure how to react, and then to Dr. Million. Seeing the concern on their faces, Dr. Million spoke up.

"TJ, how about you go back to playing," He said. "And put the headphones back on, me and your parents need to talk." On his way back to the corner, Dr. Million handed him a note. Opening it, it read: _I know you've been listen it us this whole time and that's okay. But right now, I want you to keep the music on. _Before he sat down he looked back at Dr. Million and nodded. Once the headphones were back on, the adults continued to talk.

"This concerns me," Dr. Million said sternly. "This can be the result of several things, but before I go on, I need to know that if he really does like Chauncey the way he says he does, that you will not treat him any differently."

"Of course not," His mother said.

"It's just a shock. That's all," Said his father.

"Good, because I wouldn't worry too much over it," Dr. Million explained. "At this point, he could simply be clinging to Chauncey, like a five year old might cling to a blanket because it makes them feel safe. He could be using Chauncey to start feeling comfortable with showing affection again. So, at this point, I wouldn't look too much into it." After hearing that his parents let out a sigh of relief. "Either that or your son is actually gay. But we don't know that yet."

"So how do we know?"

"That's a good question," Dr. Million leaned back in his chair and pondered what should be done. "Next week, I want you to see if Chauncey can come to therapy with him, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I need to see exactly how they interact. Also, did he tell you about the sleepover I want him to have with his friends tomorrow?" They nodded. "Good. Looks like we're all on track. Now our time is up, but remember to give him the _talk,_ okay? I believe that he can handle it."

~*~*~LATER~*~*~

After therapy, TJ's parents had gotten ice cream as a way to make him feel comfortable after he told them about him and Chauncey. As he was eating, they wanted to discuss why what he was doing to Chauncey was inappropriate. But like any parents found it difficult to start that conversation. Sex was not something they had planned to tell their son about until at least fifth grade. But plans changed. Eventually they settled on telling him the bare minimum of what they felt he needed to know.

"TJ, we need to talk about yesterday," His mother said. "What you were doing to Chauncey, that was inappropriate."

"But why," He asked. "You ever gave me a reason."

"What you were doing," His mother paused. "T-that's called masturbation and people do that to themselves because it feels good. But you should not be doing that to others, especially at your age."

"What's masturbation?"

"It's when someone touches themselves, like the way you were touching Chauncey," His father explained while keeping his eyes on the road.

"Is it bad?"

"No, it isn't bad," His father told him. "It's a part of growing up. What you need to know son is that we honestly feel that you are too young to be doing that. But if you do, then it needs to be in private."

"So I shouldn't do it to others?" He asked them. They nodded. "It sounds dirty though. 'Masturbation,' sounds like a dirty word. So it's okay if I date Chauncey?"

"That's just fine with us, sweetheart." His mother said. She turned around and faced her son who had a smile on his face.


	7. The Sleepover

With the worry about his parent's reaction to Chauncey off of his shoulders, TJ felt comfortable enough to talk about his around his parents. This mostly included how cute he thought Chauncey was and why. At first he didn't think he would go into much detail, but found that he had it broken down to a science. Although his parents were willing to accept the possibility of him being gay, they had to remind themselves of the other possibilities.

The next day at school his friends noticed a happier, more normal TJ and wondered what had happened to make him this way. None of them actually questioned him about it for fear that they may inexplicably cause it to stop. But they did remember to ask him on Saturday. In the meantime, they were content with him acting like his old self.

They were all looking forward to Saturday, especially TJ. He had invited Sam and Chauncey to the sleepover, but did not tell his friends for two reasons. First, he didn't want Spinelli to bring her boxing gloves and fight Sam; though as long as she didn't threaten Chauncey in some form, he was sure that Sam would refuse to fight. The second thing would be that he didn't want to tell them that he was dating Chauncey. He wanted that to be a surprise.

They all agreed to meet over at his house at four o'clock Saturday; Sam and Chauncey were going to come thirty minutes later to avoid conflict. Until then, TJ spent his time cleaning his room. Soon he was actually able to see his floor. He usually argued with his mother about his room not being clean; his argument was that he was a boy and boy's rooms were usually messy. It didn't hold up with his mother. Still, his room usually stayed messy, but not dirty. For today, he figured that since his friends were coming over that he should sort through the mess.

Soon enough it was 4:00 and the doorbell rang, and his mother yelled upstairs that his friends were here. After meeting them downstairs they went out to the backyard.

For a while, they were having a pretty good time. That was until the backdoor opened and Sam and Chauncey stepped through.

"What are they doing here?" Spinelli asked.

"I invited them," Said TJ.

"I thought this was supposed to be with us only!"

"I asked Dr. Million if it was okay and he said yes. Just give them a chance Spinelli, you don't even know them." Once they made their way over, no one talked. Not wanting to start off like this TJ broke the silence.

"We should do that thing teachers do when there's a new student," He said. "You know, when we all go around and say something about ourselves."

"I hate it when they do that," Sam mumbled. "Do we have to?"

"We aren't doing anything else."

"Fine, but I don't like it." In minutes everyone was sitting in a circle. "Do we do the whole 'what's your favorite color, what do you like to do, and what's your talent' thing?"

"Just get on with it," Spinelli told her.

"Don't rush me, pigtails. Okay my name is Samantha, but since I hate that name you all have to call me Sam. If you call me Samantha I will not acknowledge you. My favorite color is pink but since I can't wear it much with my hair color, i have to substitute it with its ugly cousin red. I like to paint, but I'm really into singing." Sam said. "Okay next person." She pointed the person to her left, which was Gus.

"I'm Gus but you all know that already," Gus said. "My favorite color is green and I know a lot about the army. I just moved here about three and a half months ago." They all went around, in the order of Sam, Gus, Gretchen, Chauncey, Vince, Mikey, Spinelli, and TJ. At the end, everyone still felt an awkwardness in the air and they all silently agreed what they had done was pointless. Now they all lay on the grass, trying to think of something to do.

"Wanna go to the movies?" Chauncey suggested.

"There's nothing good out," Vince told him.

"What about the park?" Gus asked.

"No, the park's been getting really dirty lately," Gretchen said. "What about the museum?"

"No offence Gretchen," Spinelli said. "But the weekend was meant for fun, not learning."

"Don't have to be so negative, pigtails," Sam told her.

"Look, we're not going to the museum!"

"Why not! I'd actually like to!"

"Then why don't you go and leave?"

"You got a problem with me, pigtails?"

"Yeah I do!"

"You know what we should do?" Chauncey spoke up and caught everyone off guard. "We should let them fight. I wanna see who would win."

"Are you crazy," Vince said. "They'll kill each other."

"We have nothing else better to do," Chauncey said.

"Its fine with me," Spinelli said. "She's been getting on my nerves for a while now!"

"I'm not fighting you, pigtails," Sam said, not moving from her place on the ground. "Calm down."

"What are you, afraid you'll lose?"

"Spinelli if she doesn't want to fight don't fight," Mikey told her. "You two can talk this out."

"Listen to him," Sam said. "He's right. We can _talk._"

"Come on, Sam. We have nothing better to do," Chauncey said.

"How many people want us to fight?" Sam asked them. Spinelli, Chauncey, TJ, Vince, and Gus raised their hands. "Okay, I'll fight you. Any rules?"

"No shoes," TJ said. "Spinelli if you kick with your boots it wouldn't be fair."

"I won't need to kick," She said. "I can just punch her and win."

"Yeah whatever," Sam said. The two of them removed their shoes and Sam pulled her hair back in a ponytail and removed her earrings.

"Who do you think is going to win?" TJ asked the others.

"It's hard to tell," Said Gretchen. "We all know how well Spinelli can fight, but we've never seen Sam fight. As far we know it's 50-50."

"Not even that," Spinelli said as she and Sam took their places across from each other. Everyone else stood on the edge in between the two girls. All of them, except Mikey because he was against fighting, were wondering who would win. Some of them actually thought they might kill each other or at least get close to it. After a count down from Chauncey the two charged at each other but ended up locking hands, each trying to push the other.

It looked like it would be a tie until Sam let go. Since she was pushing so hard, Spinelli feel forward but didn't reach the ground as Sam grabbed her by the back of her collar and kneed her in the stomach and then let her go to fall on the ground. Everyone watching was speechless. A moment passed until Spinelli picked herself off the ground, ready to try again. Not giving Sam a chance to get ready she lunged forward landing a good upper cut to her jaw, punches to her stomach, and a kick for good measure. Stumbling back, Sam had to give her credit, she was good. Standing up straight, she calmly walked over to her. Everyone thought she was going to give up but was proven wrong when Sam grabbed Spinelli's head at the sides and slammed her own head against the one in her hands.

Soon it was just a mess of punches and kicks and neither of the girls looked like they were going to give up. But after ten minutes they found themselves exhausted, standing across from each other.

"You're better than I thought you would be," Said Spinelli.

"Same here, pigtails," Sam said. "I think we're even. Wanna call it even?"

"No," Said Spinelli. "I don't. But we are. It's even." They shook hands then looked over to the others who were trying to comprehend the violence they just witnessed. "You guys might want to close your mouths."

"Yeah, you're letting flies in." Sam said. "So now what do want do?"

"I dunno, toss a ball around?" Asked Vince. Everyone nodded. They found a ball in the bushes and started to toss it around.

"Anything interesting happen to anyone?" Gus asked, tossing the ball to Mikey.

"They opened up a new Mini Lounge," Sam said.

"What's that?" Gretchen asked.

"It's this place where kids go to just relax," Sam told them. "But it's underground, only kids know about it. The last one got closed because some kids blabbed about it and adult found it. The only reason I'm telling you all is because I trust you not to tell anyone else. But they opened a new one. We can go tomorrow if you want."

"That sounds fun," said Gus. "Anyone else."

"I'm dating someone," Said TJ as he caught the ball.

"Who?" Everyone asked in unison.

"C-Chauncey," He said. There was silence, and then everyone except himself, Chauncey, and Sam who were standing next to each other laughed.

"No really," Spinelli said, trying to stop laughing. "Who is it?"

"It's Chauncey," He repeated. Trying to convince then he wasn't joking he took Chauncey's hand in his. Everyone stared at the two of them. The longer it took for them to say something more worried TJ became.

"WHAT?" Spinelli yelled.

"But he's a guy," said Vince.

"I know," TJ said. "Is that a problem?"

"Can you do that?" Gus asked him.

"Yeah," said Chauncey. "It's not illegal or nothing."

"But he's another guy!" Spinelli yelled. "You know what I think? I think you're only doing this because of what happened and it messed you up in the head! And you," She walked up to them and grabbed Chauncey by the collar. "I think you're taking advantage of that!"

"Watch it, pigtails!" Sam grabbed her hand and pulled her off of him. "He didn't take advantage of anybody! From what he told me, TJ proposed that they date first! So back off!"

"Is that true?" Spinelli asked TJ. He nodded. Instead of saying anything she just looked at him and walked across the yard.

"It's okay with me," Mikey said. "If you're serious about it then it's okay."

"Yeah, it's fine with me." Said Gretchen.

"Me too," Gus said.

"It's weird," Vince told them. "It's really weird. I still want to be your friend and everything, but I think it's weird."

"So what do we do now?" Chauncey asked.

"Anyone up for Monopoly?"

For the rest of the day everyone played Monopoly, which was perfect because it was well-known that it was the longest game anyone could play. They all played, except Spinelli who sat in the corner. However what they didn't plan was on TJ winning seven times in a row in three hours.

After a dinner of pizza and dessert of ice cream, everyone went to sleep in the living room.

~*~DREAM SEQUENCE_~*~_

_It was dark, and he could feel that his arms and legs were tied together, and that he was wearing a blindfold along with tape over his mouth. At first he thought that he was taken back to that old house, but remembered that it was impossible and told himself repeatedly this was just a dream, and like all dreams, he had to wake up eventually. _

_Before that happened however he was pushed onto his stomach on the hard floor and the weight he was hoping never to feel again fell over him. Even though he had he tape over his mouth he started to scream as loud as his voice would allow._

~*~OUT OF DREAM SEQUENCE~*~

Everyone in the house was woken up by a blood curdling scream. Jumping up out of their sleeping bags, everyone in the living room looked around to see TJ sitting up, screaming at the top of his lungs with his eyes closed. They tried to calm him down and make him open his eyes but it didn't work. After a few minutes he stopped and looked around, shaking.

"What happened?" Sam asked him. His eyes darted around the room.

"A really, really bad dream," He said.

"Are you okay?" His mother asked, walking into the living room.

"I think so," He mumbled. "It was just really bad. I can go back to sleep." He laid back down in his sleeping bag and the others followed suit. The lights were turned back off as he found it difficult to fall asleep again.

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><p>Donna nnov: It's complicated. That's the only way I can describe it. It's gonna be bitter sweet.<p>

RandallXSpinelli: I hope I made this chapter interesting, it took me while to type.

Please review!


	8. Panic Attack

It's about damn time I updated!

This chapter is short and to the point. But it's mostly to help me get out of my rut with this story.

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><p>The following morning was made uneasy by the event of last night still on everyone's minds. They had all gathered in the living room to watch morning cartoons but none of them were actually watching. While they ate their cereal the sound of the bowl and spoon clinking together as TJ trembled drew their attention away from the television. He looked as if he hadn't got any sleep after awaking up screaming last night. The worry that had disappeared yesterday reappeared. With the question of him being alright not needing to be asked they tried to bring him out of his current state by getting him to play a game or telling a joke, but none of their ideas worked. That is, until Chauncey came up with the idea to give him a kiss on the cheek. He immediately smiled and was brought back to the happiness he was experiencing yesterday.<p>

Luckily for them, there was a Senor Fusion marathon on and they didn't have to bothered with coming up with something to do. With three bowls of popcorn and glasses of soda around them they all were having the best time they've had in a while. Sadly that was put on pause.

When a particularly funny scene played on the TV and they all laughed, but when he heard his friends laughing, TJ was brought into a flashback.

He was brought back to the old house. All he could he was darkness, but he could hear the laughter of those who were there at the old house.

His friends noticed something was wrong when something else funny played on the screen and he didn't laugh. They all saw the blank stare on his face, and asked him if something was wrong, but didn't get an answer.

"TJ?" Gus asked, snapping his fingers in front of him. "Are you there?"

"What's wrong with him?" Asked Sam.

"I think he might be having a flashback." Said Gretchen.

"What's that?"

"It's when a person suddenly replays a traumatic event in their minds." She explained. "We just have to wait until he snaps out of it." With a gasp of air, TJ blinked and was brought back to reality.

"You okay?" Chauncey asked him.

"No," Said TJ. "No, I'm not. I need to be alone right now." He stood up and walked away from the group going upstairs. Once he was in his room he locked the door and went into his bathroom.

Twenty minutes passed and the others were beginning to get worried. They headed upstairs and into TJ's room to look for him. No luck. But when they heard the sound of someone throwing up coming from his bathroom.

"Hey," Gus asked as he knocked on the bathroom door. "Are you okay?" The only response he got was a gag. "He sound's sick."

"Are you kids okay?" They turned around to see TJ's mother standing in the doorway.

"We don't know. He just came up here twenty minutes ago and he won't come out." Said Gretchen told her. "It sounds like he's throwing up." Concerned, his mother came over and knocked on the door.

"TJ, sweetie, are you okay?" She asked him.

"No," TJ managed to say. "I-I'm not…"

"Can you unlock the door?" A moment pasted before the sound of the lock turning was heard. Opening the door, his mother stepped in and closed the door again. Mrs. Detweiler found her son sitting on the floor next to the bathtub. Walking over to him she pulled him into a hug to try and comfort him, but he pushed her away. "TJ what's the matter?"

"It won't leave me alone," TJ said, bringing his legs to his chest and wraping his arms around them.

"What won't leave you alone?"

"The nightmares and the visions. They won't leave me alone." His mother watched as he began to trembled, and closed his eyes. "Why won't they leave me alone?"

"It's okay, sweetie. That's why we're going to therapy, so you won't have the nightmares and visions anymore."

"But when is it going to work? It's not working fast enough!" He yelled. "I'm gonna go crazy before it works!" He laid his head in his arms and started to sob. His mother rubbed his back, knowing that he would just push her away if she tried to hug him.

"Kids, why don't you all head home," She said to the children on the other side of the door. "You all can talk to TJ tomorrow okay? He's not feeling well." They could hear the others say their goodbyes before their footsteps as they left.

"Can I be alone for a while?" He asked his mother. "I need to be alone…"

"Okay sweetheart," She said. "I'll be back in little bit, alright?" TJ nodded and he mother left, leaving him to his thoughts.


	9. TouchyFeelly

**Okay, so it seems that everyone either hates Chauncey or thinks he's the most adorable thing on the planet. So I have some news pertaining to him, but I was planning on doing this from the beginning, even before I wrote this sequel. For those who like Chauncey, enjoy it while you can. For those who despise the curly blonde, don't worry he won't be around too much longer. I say these things because I plan to get rid of both Chauncey and Sam (Its part of the plot), but that's not what the story is going to be revolving around, so I feel safe tell you all that without giving too much away.**

**Now, onto important news! This chapter as well as a couple others are going to be written more or less in Dr. Millions POV. It's going to help me figure out where I'm going with this story as well as you all in some way I haven't figured out yet. Without futher ado….**

**Read on!**

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><p>Dr. Million sat in his office, writing a few notes down while glancing at the two children playing on the floor with a bucket of LEGOs. He was making sure to note how they were interacting when the session was going to begin in a few minutes. Clicking his pen he wrote how they were currently acting towards one another; calm and relax, playing just like friends.<p>

He looked at the clock he saw that it was time for the session to begin.

"How are you two feeling today?" Dr. Million asked the two boys.

"I'm good," Said Chauncey.

"I'm tired," TJ said. "I didn't get any sleep last night."

"Why didn't you get any sleep?" The psychologist asked.

"I kept having flashbacks," He said. "Every time I managed to fall asleep, I kept dreaming about what happened." TJ stopped to yawn. "It's been happening all weekend."

"Can you tell me what were in those flashbacks?"

"Um…things that happened in the principal's office," TJ said, looking at the pieces he put together. "And the old house..."

"Can you tell me exactly what you saw in one of your flashbacks?"

"D-do I have to?" He asked grabbing Chauncey's free hand. Dr. Million stopped and noted what he saw. With quick movements, he wrote down TJ's grabbing of Chauncey's hand after he was getting nervous. He also wrote down how Chauncey reacted to the action; he continued to play as if it didn't happen.

"It would definitely help the healing process," said Dr. Million. "Do you mind telling me?"

"No, I guess not…..one of the one's I had last night, I was back in the principal's office," TJ started. "He was pining me down on the floor like always. But this time he was whispering to me when he…did what he did."

"Mmm-hmm," Dr. Million mumbled, writing on his clipboard. "What did he say?"

"I-I don't wanna say," TJ told him, tightening his grip on Chauncey's hand.

"It's really important that you talk about this sort of thing," Dr. Million insisted.

"I'm not gonna talk about it!" Shouted TJ. "C-can we please talk about something else?"

"Alright. Let's go back to the people that are pitying you," He Said. "Are they still bothering you?"

"A little bit," TJ said, letting go of Chauncey's hand and picking up the pieces he had dropped. "It's not so much the pity as much as it's that the pity reminds me of what happened. And I don't want to be reminded of it. When are they gonna stop pitying me and go back to normal?"

"I can't really give you an answer for that…." Dr. Million said. "They'll just have to stop that on their own. Or you could tell them it bothers you and that you want them to stop. Think you can do that?"

"If I have to," He said. "If it'll make them stop I'll do it. I just want things to go back to normal…"

"It was only three weeks ago when the abuse stopped, TJ," Dr. Million said, writing on his clipboard. "It's going to take a while for thing to get better."

"Why?"

"Well, there are lists of things we have to go down to make sure you're okay mentally."

"…..You think I'm crazy?"

"No, no. Not at all," Said the Psychologist. "It's just that going through a traumatizing experience like what you went through, there are a number of things that can happen to your mind. It's vital that we make sure none of those things happened. We all just want to make sure that you're healthy."

"So if I'm okay mentally, I can stop coming here?" TJ asked him.

"That's the goal."

"Do you think there's anything wrong with me do you?"

"Not that I can tell," Dr. Million told him. "We've only been have these sessions for a week and so far I would give you a clean bill of health."

"But I have to keep coming here for the whole six months?"

"That's right." Dr. Million watched as TJ whispered to Chauncey. The two of them exchanged words by whispering into their ears. Though he was not able to hear their conversation, he noted how TJ grabbed onto Chauncey's arm with a worried look on his face. After a few minutes, the worried expression changed to a more relaxed one and that he let go of Chauncey's arm.

"Dr. Million, why do I keep having flashbacks?" Asked TJ.

"There are a number of reasons for that," He said. "But it's normal, trust me. It's your mind's way of sorting through what happened."

"So what should I do when I have one again?"

"I want you to write them down," Said Dr. Million. Reaching towards his desk he handed TJ a notebook. "Write down exactly what you saw. And on Friday, I want you to read one to your parents. Do you think you can do that?"

"…..If I have to…" TJ mumbled, looking through the blank pages.

"Good. Now our time is up, but I want you to remember what we talked about here okay?"

"Yeah. People are gonna keeping pitying me, the flashbacks are normal, and I need to tell my parents one…" Said TJ. "Can we go now?" Dr. Million nodded. The two boys stood on their feet and walked out of the office where TJ parents were waiting.

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><p><strong>Please Review!<strong>


	10. The Replacement

**I'm having a burnout. It's severe and it won't go away. Anyone know any cures?**

**There's a bit of a feel good moment in here that I hope brightens everyone's day. I'm also going to focus solely on this fic until i finish it. I plan it to actually be longer than the first one. How it got to be that way i'll never know.**

**Read On!**

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><p>After having more flashbacks than he could count, TJ could safely say that he was having a very good day with all things considered. After his last appointment with Dr. Million, he didn't have any flashbacks at all. This made him happy because he was able to sleep, focus, and was in an overall better mood the next morning. Still, there was an overbearing feeling that <em>something<em> was going to go wrong that he couldn't quite shake.

He tried to tell himself that nothing could be worse than what he went through, and that the person who caused it has been locked away, never to be the light of day again. So he tried to ignore that feeling and carried on with his day as normal as he possibly could.

When he arrived in front of school with a smile on his face his friends asked him what exactly made him so happy. He told them that he didn't really know why, but that he did not want to ruin it. With that he led the way into the school.

During class TJ thought about what Dr. Million had told him about the flashbacks being his minds way of sorting through what happened to him and how he need to have a clean bill of mental health. He began to think that the sooner the flashbacks stop, the sooner he would be labeled as healthy. And his flashbacks didn't happen at all today; that could mean he was getting better faster than expected. Maybe he wouldn't have to go to therapy as much as they wanted him to.

Once recess came around, TJ found that he was easily capable of doing the things that he missed out during the last few months. With his friends he was able to play pranks, execute plans, and they even managed to squeeze in a game of kickball. So now he was sitting in class, trying to grasp the concepts that were being presented to the entire class.

Just as quickly as his day became like a slice of heaven, it plummeted back down to Earth once the intercom came on.

_"TJ Detweiler to the principal's office," Said the voice over the intercom._

Once his name was called it was met with protest from everyone in the class except himself. He didn't know what to think. He hadn't done anything to get in trouble today. And besides, who would even be in the principal's office? Prickley was in jail; maybe they hired someone else? Not paying attention to what the other students were saying in his defense, TJ stood up and headed towards the office.

Opening the door to the principal's office he hesitantly took a few steps in. The curtains were pulled back and plenty of light poured in from the outside, making the room much more welcoming than the last time his was there. Closing the door he walked towards the desk and looked at who was sitting there; a 40-something year old man whose black hair that was showing signs of graying.

"TJ Detweiler?" the man asked.

"That's me…." Said TJ, keeping his head down out of habit.

"I'm the new principal here," Said the man. "My name is Principal Morris. Before I came here they told me what happened in here."

"T-they did?"

"Yes. And I thought that I would introduce myself to you before the other students." Said Principal Morris.

"….w-why?"

"Because I want you to know that I would never do anything like the last principal did," He said. Walking in front of his desk, Morris stopped in front of the child and kneeled down to his height. "He's gone now, and I promise you that nothing like that will ever happen here again."

"….I don't know if I can trust you…" Said TJ.

"That's okay. I want to do what I can to gain that trust from you."

"….have you looked at student records yet?" TJ asked him.

"No, why?"

"There's something in them that I don't want to get in trouble for..."

"And you want me to take it out of your records?" Said Principal Morris as he stood up. "Is that it?" TJ nodded. "You know I'm not allowed to do that. Once it's in your records it has to stay. But I suppose that I can do this _one_ favor." Walking over to the grey metal filing cabinets, he started to open them, looking for his folder. "What exactly are you looking for?"

"Well, it's not just me, sir," TJ said to him. "It's my friends too. It's just that the reason I didn't tell was because he said that there was enough on our records to get us expelled and that if I told anyone what he was doing that the new principal would see our records and expel us."

"Hmm, what are your friends last names?"

"Spinelli, LaSalle, Grundler, Blumberg, and Griswold," He said. After a few minutes of looking through the cabinets, Principal Morris brought over six folders with labels that had the children's names on it. One of the files was significantly larger than the others; TJ thought that it was undoubtedly his.

"So you want me to clear some of the things from these files," Said Morris, looking through one of the files. "Is that what you're asking?"

"Yes sir."

"Let's see here," said Morris looking through the files. "You play a lot of pranks….."

"Yeah, it's sort of a talent of mine," TJ said with a smile. "I'm really good at it." One look from Principal Morris told him that he said the wrong thing. "I shouldn't have said that…" Moments passed without either one of them talking. TJ was beginning to think that this wasn't going to work. The guy seemed nice enough, but he didn't know much about him; for all he knew he could just be leading him on to say that he wasn't going to let him and his friends off the hook and that they were in in big trouble.

"You see this?" Morris asked, getting TJ's attention. Looking up TJ could see that he held a bunch of papers from the individual files in his hand.

"I see it, sir."

"Good. And now you don't." Principal Morris then threw the papers in the trash bin next to his desk. "That's my gift to you and your friends, TJ. A fresh start. Now it's like you never got in trouble at all. We'll just pretend that those pranks never happened."

"R-really?"

"Really." Said Morris. "Now you get back to class and be sure to tell your friends they have nothing to worry about. Okay?"

"Okay. Thanks Principal Morris." With a smile we waved the new principal goodbye and walked back to class.

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><p><strong>RandallXSpinelli: I can't tell you. I really can't without spoiling it. I wish I could but I simply can't. But it'll be in a few chapters. And the good thing is I'm going to focus on this one fic before finishing the others so the updates should come faster.<strong>

**Please Review!**


	11. Apologize

**Wow, such positive reviews from the last chapter. I hope to continue that somewhat in this chapter. There is also come cursing, but I'm sure you all are mature enough to handle it.**

**Now, I think I should say that I based Principal Morris on my own elementary school principal whose name I can't remember. God he was so cool, he used to come out during recess and play with us like a big kid! Too bad he retired and few years back….**

**Read on!**

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><p>TJ didn't like the way Spinelli was looking at Chauncey. She had on her 'I hate you more than bee's hate fake flowers' look on her face, and it was directed at the curly blonde on his left. TJ had seen her angry and upset plenty of times before, but this was a new type of anger that he had never seen. He was pretty sure this was left over from when he had told everyone that he and Chauncey were dating, but couldn't understand why she would be angry at him for that.<p>

From what he could see Chauncey was unaware of the arrows of anger that was launched towards him.

The gang plus Chauncey sat on the floor of Dr. Million's office, waiting for the therapist to come into the room. A few minutes was let until the session was set to begin, and silence mostly filled that time.

Taking a sip of coffee from is paper cup, Dr. Million opened the door to his office and immediately felt the tension coming from the children sitting on the floor. Taking a spot on the floor, he could see that Spinelli was sending a very powerful glare that could probably melt through lead at Chauncey who seem too involved with the bucket of LEGOs he brought over from the corner. From the expressions on the other kids however, it was apparent that they felt the tension in the room as well but were all too nervous to say anything in the fear that it would set her off.

Spinelli however didn't give a fuck.

In her mind that curly haired blonde, as well as that damn ginger girl, was stealing her friend away from him and she was not going to stand for it. What was so special about Chauncey anyways? For what reason did he decide to date _him?_ It wasn't that Chauncey was another guy that got on her nerves; that in itself was fine. It was the fact that they were dating at all. She wasn't jealous or nothing, she reassured herself that wasn't the case. But it still annoyed the hell out of her.

"So how are you all today?" Dr. Million asked the group as he took a sip of coffee. No one answered. "I sense a lot of tension here. Anyone care to explain?" Still, no one answered. "What about you Spinelli? You look very angry. Is there a reason why?"

"What's so special about _him?"_ Spinelli asked TJ. "Why exactly are you dating him?"

"Because I like him," TJ told her. "We really like each other. Why is that a problem?" Instead of answering, Spinelli folded her arms and huffed.

"I sense a lot of tension between you two," Said Dr. Million as he took notes on his clipboard. "When did you two start to have problems?"

"I think it might've been when I punched her in the face…." Said TJ as he thought back to the last three weeks. "But I pushed her before that…"

"Did you apologize?" Asked Dr. Million.

"No…"

"Maybe it's time you did," He said. "Maybe that's what causing her anger today. It'll make things better if you do."

"I doubt it…"

"Try," Snapped Spinelli directing her glare at TJ. "Give it a shot, you never know! It might make my day!"

"I'm sorry I pushed you on the ground," Said TJ as he thought back to the times he punched and hit her. "And punched you in the arm. And punched you in the face. And pushed you against my desk. And knocked out your tooth. But half of it was your fault. You have to understand that."

"MY FAULT?" Shouted Spinelli. "How was it my fault that YOU punched ME?"

"You said the dumbest things!" He yelled back at her. "You kept saying that I like it! You had no idea what I was trying to deal with, and then you say something like that to make me feel worse! Of course I was going to lash out!"

"Well maybe if you opened up to use about it I wouldn't have said those things!" She shouted. "What were we supposed to think? You wouldn't tell us anything so we had to make our own conclusions about what we saw and that was it! So who fault is it now, TJ?"

"Oh well I'm so sorry that I didn't want you to get expelled!" He said with sarcasm dripping from his voice. "I'm so sorry that I cared THAT much about you guys! Next time I won't give a damn! Does that make you feel better, Spinelli?" Before the argument between the two of them could go any further they were pulled away from each other; Spinelli by Vince and Mikey, TJ by Chauncey. After sending each other a heated glare, the two of them looked back up at Dr. Million.

"I know you two are very angry at each other," Said the therapist. "But can you accept his apology, Spinelli?"

"Yeah whatever," Spinelli mumbled. "Apology accepted…."

"Good. Now, let's all talk about something else. What's on everyone's minds today?" Dr. Million asked.

"We had fun yesterday," Said Gus. "It was like this whole incident never happened." The others nodded and agreed.

"How did that make you all feel?"

"It was nice 'cause we haven't had days like that in a long time," Said Vince.

"We haven't really been hanging out lately," Said Gus.

"What do you mean? We're together all the time during school and after school," Said TJ. "We're always doing _something_ together."

"Maybe we don't want your _new_ friends there," Spinelli Said. "Ever think about that?"

"What are you trying to say?"

"What we're saying is that Sam and Chauncey are nice people," Said Mikey. "But we just feel that you're spending more time with them than us."

"They're my friends too. I can't just go up to them and say, 'hey guys, it's nothing against you but my other friends who I think are better than you don't want you to be around us, so can you need to go away.' How would you guys feel if I did that to you?" As the discussion continued, no one noticed that Chauncey was listening and watching.

He didn't know that the others felt that way about him and Sam. He definitely didn't mean to cause it either; the last thing he wanted to do was cause a rift between his boyfriend and his lifetime friends. Still, it hurt to hear that the others didn't want him or Sam around but if that's how they felt then he would just have to deal with it.

Unbeknownst to the kids, this whole scene was being observed in aspects by Dr. Million. The kids had stood up from their spots on the floor. On one side were TJ and Chauncey, and on the others were Gus, Spinelli, Vince, Mikey, and Gretchen. TJ kept Chauncey behind him as he tried to defend his presence, and Chauncey peered over to the others on the opposite side who were trying to get their point across. Dr. Million not only noted what they were saying, and how where they were standing could demonstrate the conflict they were experiencing, but their expressions as well.

While the larger group, with the exception of Spinelli, had looks of frustration on their faces, TJ showed exasperation and annoyance. Chauncey was showing uneasiness from his position. After finishing up the last of his notes, Dr. Million spoke up.

"Okay, okay," He said getting their attention. "I know you all want to talk about this, and it's good that you do, but our time is up. We've already gone ten minutes past our time. I want you all write down your thoughts about this session and bring it to our next session on Wednesday, okay?" Nodding, the kids headed out the door, carrying the tension with them the whole way home.

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><p><strong>Donna nnov: I know, happy chapters are rare in this story. It's gonna get sad after a couple more chapters but until then it'll be relatively happy.<strong>

**RandallXSpinelli: Of course I'm not done messing with him! :P It would be too simple that way. Thanks for the advice, I actually found an old journal of mine and started to write in it again with is really helping.**

**Hahasux4u: No problem! I'm actually trying to decide how else the new principal would be used in the story, because I don't want him to just make one appearance.**

**Please Review!**


	12. Girl Talk

**Just in case you all have lost track, this chapter take place on Thursday. I never got the hang of Thursdays…**

**Random fact: When I'm typing these chapters and the chapters to all my other stories I'm always watching South Park which is weird because the show contrasts SO much from Recess. I personally find it to be hilarious. Anyways, this story should have anywhere between 25 to 30 chapters though I'm still trying to figure out how to end this. This chapter is short and mostly filler but it's necessary. I just want to get to the next chapter so I'm sorry if it's rushed. But two characters are finally going to get along in here.**

**Read on!**

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><p>The next day after school the gang found themselves in the park sitting on a jungle gym. Like many times before they were joined by Sam and Chauncey. This was mainly due to them scheduling this days ago and TJ refusing to tell them how the others felt about them.<p>

They all sat on the jungle gym trying to figure out what they were going to do for the day. On the top of the double slides were TJ and Chauncey, sitting on the swings were Mikey and Gretchen, hanging upside down of the monkey bars were Vince and Sam, and lastly, sitting on the bottom of the slides were Gus and Spinelli. The weather was perfect for doing anything outside and they were trying to figure out what that was going to be.

While the others were trying to come with something to do, Sam was thinking about what Chauncey told her yesterday after he came home. He had told her what the others had said about them being there and even suggested that they didn't come by as much. When she asked who started saying this he had said that it was Spinelli. She ended the conversation by telling him that she was going to have a talk with her the next day. And that was what she planned to do.

"Okay, I'm sure whatever we'll come up with to do will be awesome," Sam said as she got off of the monkey bars. "But me and pigtails need to have a talk."

"About what?" Spinelli asked her.

"Girl stuff," Sam said walking past her. "C'mon, it won't take long."

"How am I supposed to trust you?"

"Take a chance," She said. "I promise it won't take longer than five minutes."

"Alright," Said Spinelli as she followed. "But you better not try anything."

"Wouldn't even think of it," Said Sam. "The rest of you keep trying to think of something to do." The two of them walked into the woods next to the jungle gym, leaving a group of very confused children behind. Once they were far enough for them not to be heard Sam turned around with a wide smile on her face.

"You like him, don't you?" Sam squealed.

"What are you talking about?" Spinelli asked her.

"TJ," Sam said. "You like him!"

"What do I look like, some lovesick powder-puff?" Spinelli turned around and started to head back towards the playground. "You're crazy!"

"The reason you said you didn't want us around is because you feel like Chauncey is taking your place!" Sam said. Spinelli stopped walking. "And you're jealous that he's paying more attention to Chauncey too. Am I right?"

"Why does it matter?" Spinelli snapped at her.

"Oh c'mon. We're both girls. We can talk about this stuff."

"So I like him," She mumbled. "He doesn't even like girls so why does it matter?"

"You don't know that!" Said Sam. "So he like's boys? That doesn't mean he doesn't like girls too."

"But he's dating someone now."

"Yeah, you're right about that…." Sam mumbled. "But that doesn't mean its set in stone. They could break up. You never know, pigtails."

"Why are you helping me? We hate each other."

"I don't hate you," Said Sam. "I respect you, pigtails. You got moxy. But you gotta stop with the accusations against freckles."

"Freckles?"

"Yeah, you know, TJ; freckles. Think of it like this: you two keep fighting, and the only way that's gonna stop is if one of you refuses to argue. And because girls mature faster than boys, you should stop. I'm saying that he isn't wrong too, but you should be the better person here."

"I'm not making any promises that I'll try," Spinelli said folding his arms.

"That okay. Just remember what I said," Said Sam. "We should probably get back to the others before they think we've killed each other…" The two of them then began to walk back to the playground to the others.

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><p><strong>RandallXSpinelli: I didn't even notice that! He does sort of look like Benedict doesn't he? That was an accident like you said. Ah, yes, something bad is going to happen relatively soon but it's not going to be from Principal Morris I can tell you that much without giving it all away.<strong>

**Donna nnov: The thing with Sam not being there is that Dr. Million didn't **_**ask**_** for her to be there (I was actually debating whether or not to have her in this chapter which is why it took so long to type the last chapter. At the end of the day I decided not to have her in there. It wouldn't have changed the dynamic or anything, but she wasn't asked to be there.**

**Please review!**


	13. Security Blanket

**Remember when I said it was going to get sad again? This is it. I decide to combine two chapters into one here because separately they would've been short.**

**Read On!**

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><p>Just like every Friday, TJ's parents came to therapy with him. Unlike those times TJ as well as Chauncey were playing on the jungle gym just outside of his office with the other kids who had sessions in the building. This was because Dr. Million did not want to risk the two of them hearing what he had to say about the two of them. After watching how the two boys interact, Dr. Million came to one conclusion about their relationship.<p>

Sitting at his desk, Dr. Million turned away from the window and faced Mr. And Mrs. Detweiler who were sitting in front of him.

"Your son really likes Chauncey," Said Dr. Million. "And there's nothing wrong with that. But their relationship is detrimental to his recovery."

"What do you mean, Dr. Million?" Asked Mrs. Detweiler.

"On Monday I asked your son a few questions. Like usual I started out with the easy ones, working up to the harder ones. The easy questions are not the ones that are important; it's the hard one's that he needs to answer. He absolutely refused to answer those questions with Chauncey around."

"Couldn't he just come to therapy without him?" Mr. Detweiler asked him.

"Yes, but that's not the _only _problem," Said Dr. Million. "There's a huge rift between him and his friends. It's not Chauncey's fault, but they're not dealing with was _really_ upsetting them."

"So what do we do?"

"Until his therapy is done, it would be best if Chauncey wasn't around," Dr. Million told them. "They have to break up."

"But TJ is really attached to Chauncey," Said Mrs. Detweiler. "We can't break them up!"

"You son is attached to Chauncey. But he's treating him like a security blanket to avoid dealing with what he needs to. After he's done with all of his therapy, he can go back to dating Chauncey if he wants." The three of them looked out the window to the playground outside. TJ and Chauncey were still playing, unaware what was being discussed in the office. "It'll hurt him; he'll even fight back at first. But eventually he'll understand why they had to break up. You should tell him as soon as possible; before Monday."

"He's going to fight us every step of the way," Mr. Detweiler said. "But if it has to be done then we'll tell him." Dr. Million nodded. Outside, Chauncey fell off the highest point of the jungle gym. TJ rushed over to where he was and helped him off the ground, and the two of them continued playing. "He's been having a lot of flashbacks lately."

"He told me about that on Monday," Said Dr. Million. "I think we should call them in." Knocking on the window, he gained the attention of the two boys. He waved for them to come in and they started to do so. Once they were inside the two of them sat on the floor next to each other. "TJ, do you remember on Monday when I gave you a journal and told you to write in it whenever you have a flashback?"

"Yeah," Said TJ. "But I haven't had one since then so it's still empty."

"Not _one _flashback?"

"Nope."

"Why do you think that is?" Asked the therapist.

"I dunno…"

"Maybe it's because you're spending more time with your friends," Said Chauncey, rubbing his head as he held the hat in his hand. "Maybe it's 'cause you're not worrying about it anymore. That's what I think."

"Okay, why don't the two of you go and sit in the waiting room," Dr. Million said. "I need to have a talk with your parents for a moment, TJ." Shrugging, the two of them left the room and headed for the waiting room. Once the door was closed Dr. Million turned back to his parents.

Meanwhile the two boys sat in the waiting room, and TJ was trying to figure out what the adult were talking about. The last time his parents came to therapy with him, he was in the room the entire time. What could they possibly be talking about?

"I think I left your hat in the room," Chauncey said, rubbing his head and looking around. "I'm gonna go and get it." Leaving TJ to his thoughts, Chauncey headed back down the hall the Dr. Million's office. He tried to open the door but saw that it was locked. With his curiosity getting the best of him, Chauncey pressed his ear against the door to listen.

"I know it seems like it wouldn't help at all," He heard Dr. Million say. "But I promise your son will get better much faster without the distraction. Besides it's too soon after the incident for him to be dating anyone."

"We understand Dr. Million," Said Mrs. Detweiler. "We just don't know how to break it to him."

"When he's alone would be best. When Chauncey isn't around." Frowning, the blonde stepped away from the door. He didn't know that he was keeping his boyfriend from getting better. He could handle his friends not wanted him to be there; that wasn't a problem at all. But the last thing he wanted to do was keeping him from getting better. And it sounded like he needed to leave to for that to happen. As the door opened he faked a smile and pretended that he didn't hear what was said inside.

"I left his hat in there," He said. "Can I go get it?"

"We have it right here, Chauncey," Said Mrs. Detweiler, handing him the hat. After saying thank-you, he walked back to the waiting room while TJ's parents said good bye to Dr. Million.

On the car ride home, Mr. and Mrs. Detweiler has worried looked on their faces as the two boys held hands in the backseat. In all honestly, they didn't want to tell their son about what he had to do. He seemed really happy lately and they did not want to ruin it. But they had to choose between momentary happiness or long time happiness and well-being, and his well-being was more important. They planned to tell him later that even so the two of them could have one more good day together. While they had their plans, Chauncey was mulling over the idea of breaking up with TJ himself. That seemed like the best idea in his mind, instead of TJ hearing it from his parents.

~*~LATER~*~

Instead of going home right away, Chauncey stayed over TJ's house and the two of them were in the backyard watching clouds. When they had gotten out of the car, TJ knew that something was wrong. The blonde was sadly looking at the ground when they made their way to the backyard, and the look on his face hadn't changed once they got there. In an attempt to figure out what was wrong TJ asked him, but that only he had gotten back was, 'I'm just thinking about something.'

"Do you think," Chauncey said as he stood up from laying on the ground. "That you're getting better?"

"I think so," Said TJ. "I haven't had any flashbacks in a while so that's a good sign. Why?"

"What if I'm a distraction?" Asked Chauncey. "What if you would get better faster without me around?"

"….What do you mean?"

"When I went back to get your hat, the door was locked so I put my ear against it to hear what they were saying inside," He explained. "Dr. Million said that I'm distracting you from focusing on getting better and I don't want to do that….."

"He crazy," TJ said. "If anything, you're helping me."

"I just want you to get better," Chauncey told him. "…..and if I have to break up with you for you to get better then I'll do it…." He untied the sleeves of TJ jacket that way tied around his waist then he took off his hat and held them in his hands. "I'm breaking up with you."

"….What?"

"I'm breaking up with you, TJ. I really like you, but this is more important than that." Chauncey handed over his jacket and hat before giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Get better, okay?" With that Chauncey got on his feet and walked out of the yard. Meanwhile, TJ's mother had seen the whole thing through the window above the kitchen sink. She was beginning to make dinner when she saw the blonde return TJ's jacket and hat.

"Oh dear…" Mrs. Detweiler whispered as she saw the sad look on her sons face. She watched as TJ started to come inside but not before throwing the returned items in the trash.

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><p><strong>Donna nnov: Yeah it took me a while to think of that nickname. Just in case your curious about what nicknames she would give the others here they are: Spinelli gets 'pigtails' of course, and TJ got 'freckles' though I almost gave him 'red', um, Gus would get 'shortie', Gretchen would alternate between 'Einstein', 'Copernicous' and other last names of Geniuses, Vince would get 'Apollo' 'cause in Greek mythology Apollo was good at EVERYTHING, and Mikey would get...'soft serve', nuff said. :P<strong>

**RandallXSpinelli: I actually muddled over the idea of doing that to but decided that because so much crazy sh!t happens in South Park that I would laugh too hard to even finish the first chapter. That and Cartman would rip on Mikey for being fat, Vince for being black, Spinelli and Gretchen for being girls, Gus for being a wimp, and at the end of the TJ would commit a justified murder. :P**

**Please Review!**


	14. Question and No Answer

**Once again, it's about time I updated this story! **

**See what had happened was there was originally supposed to be a chapter before this but I couldn't quite put it together so I decided not to make it and skip right to this one. It would've just been filler anyways and I **_**cannot**_** stand filler. Any who, we are skipping to Monday (last chapter was Friday) and you'll see why in this chapter.**

**This one is a little shorter than I like, but it's just to get me back in the mood for writing this story.**

**Read on!**

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><p>"You know TJ, the point of our sessions is for the BOTH of us to talk about what's on your mind."<p>

Just like the previous Mondays before today, TJ found himself in the office of Dr. Million. Unlike those previous times he refused to talk. Instead he kept his attention focused on the pile of toys in the corner. In a strange way, this setup was probably the best for the moment.

Ever since Friday and the unexpected breakup, TJ had been in a particularly bad mood which consisted of three elements; crying, refusing to do anything he was told to, and being _extremely _quiet. The crying came first after he threw away his jacket and hat. His mother and father had heard him crying inside his room whenever they walked passed and tried to get him to open the door. He refused to do so, and stayed in his room for the rest of the evening but he finally came out the next day in the afternoon due to hunger. His coat and jacket laid on the couch after being washed by his mother. After a debate with himself he decided to put them back on, but that did nothing to motivate him to talk and he did not plan on talking to Dr. Million of all people. Because Chauncey had told him that he had heard Dr. Million talking about them not being together, his anger was directed at the therapist. It was expressed in not answering any questions that he was asked.

"Would you like to tell me why you're not talking?" Dr. Million asked, becoming frustrated. He received no answer. "You know, we're not going to make any progress this way." Still no answer. Rubbing his temples the therapist returned his attention to the stubborn child. On a normal day he would be able to take plenty of notes simply from TJ's behavior but since he didn't react to anything being asked of him, there wasn't much Dr. Million could write down.

"If it'll get you to talk, I have to cancel the group session on Wednesday," He said. "There's a convention that I have to go to, and I won't be back until Thursday." No response. "Well you don't have to worry about staying quiet anymore. Our time is up. But I hope by Friday you decide to talk." Dr. Million watched as TJ walked towards the door and started to leave, but before he did he stopped.

"I hate you Dr. Million," He said. "Chauncey broke up with me because you said he was distracting me. Then my parents say that he was bad for my recovery and that they were going to tell me to stay away from Chauncey. Because of you. I've been having flashbacks like crazy since then. So I hate you right now Dr. Million." Without looking back he left the room and headed out to the waiting area where his parents were.

~*~IN THE CAR~*~

Keeping up his silent streak, TJ didn't answer the questions he parents asked him once they were on their way home. He wasn't as mad with them as with Dr. Million, but he was still upset about the situation.

"I don't understand," He started, interrupting his parents pursuit to get him to talk. "Why did we have to break up. I was happy. Isn't that what you all wanted? Isn't that why I'm going to therapy in the first place?"

"It's not that simple, sweetheart," his mother told him. "You weren't thinking an answering the questions you're supposed to with Chauncey around. He was a distraction to you. I know it doesn't make sense now but when the therapy is over and you're better it will, I promise. Maybe then you can get back together with him if you want."

"I still don't get it," He mumbled to himself. He wanted to fight back and prove them wrong, but that wouldn't help the fact that he still had to go to therapy for six months. Laying back in his seat, he silently admitted defeat in this battle.

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><p><strong>RandallXSpinelli: the thing is, the kids from South Park are <strong>_**younger**_** that the Recess kids, adding to the awkwardness. And so much crazy sh!t happens in South Park, I don't think the gang can handle that. (plus Kenny dying every day, that would seriously disturb those kids). But if someone can write a crossover with those two shows, I would read it. **

**Please Review!**


	15. False Alarm

**LONG AUTHERS NOTE ALERT!**

**Hey everyone! I've changed my penname just before I uploaded this chapter so you all won't be like, 'who is this person and why is her name next to this fic?' I've been meaning to change it for a while now and I finally got around to doing it. **

**I'm going to try to make these chapters longer (although the updates won't be happening every day because I'm trying to figure out how I want it to end) and there all going to be at least 1,500 words give or take a hundred words.**

**Since I've received (mostly) positive responses with Principal Morris I'm going to bring him back (yes, in this chapter) even though I kind of meant for him to make a one-time appearance when I introduced him. So there's that.**

**Also, I've noticed that the last few chapters in this story have been rushed and I think that the quality has been declining. So I'm going to slow my pace to make better chapters and that might increase the time in-between updates as well, at least for the next two weeks.**

**Now without further ado…**

**Read on!**

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><p>Gus knew something was up the second he got to school.<p>

He couldn't quite put his finger on exactly what it was, but there was something off about the way TJ was acting. While he was starting to act like his normal self with the plan making, prank pulling, and gaming playing, part of it seemed forced. It looked as if he was trying too hard to act like his old self. To Gus it seemed obvious, but the others didn't seem to notice at all.

But he would rather have that than him avoiding the group the entire day. So Gus decided to wait until the right moment to address the issue. In the meantime, the group was coming up with a strategy to beat Lawson's team in a game of kickball. As they exchanged ideas to come up with one unified tactic, Gus watched as TJ walked away and towards the opposing team. He tapped Lawson's shoulder and after he spoke a few words they stepped away.

After words were exchanged between the two of them they walked away to their respective teams.

"What'd you talk to Lawson about?" Gus asked TJ as the group made their way over to the field.

"I told him not to go easy on us just because of me," TJ told him. "I wanna play a game without the pity for once. I really need something to distract me right now."

As the game began people took their places on the field and those who were not up yet sat on the benches next to the field to wait their turn. At the moment Gus and TJ were sitting out. Since they were alone, Gus took this opportunity to say what was on his mind.

"Is something bothering you?" Gus asked TJ.

"Huh?" TJ said snapping out of him thoughts. "Yeah a little. Chauncey broke up with me and I'm trying to get over it. I'm just having a bad day today and I'm hoping that this game distracts me from it."

"Why'd he break up with you?"

"Dr. Million," He hissed in anger. "He said that I was distracted by Chauncey. So I told him that I hated him."

"You did?" Gus asked surprised. "That's kind of mean. What if he's right and you were being distracted?"

"Right now I really don't care," Said TJ. "I'm just going to enjoy the fact that group therapy is cancelled on Wednesday." Leaving the conversation at that, the two of them focused on playing the game in front of them. As the game progressed the opposing teams score stayed much lower. Stepping onto the plate, TJ aimed for the red ball that was about to be thrown his way. With one swift kick the ball was sent flying and he was running to second base. However he didn't make because a very loud, 'OUCH' was heard and everyone stopped what they were doing.

A few moments later Principal Morris walked onto the field holding the ball in one hand and rubbing his head with the other.

"Does this belong to anyone?" He said holding up the ball.

"Uh, yeah….," TJ said as he and the rest of the players approached the principal. "That was my bad, sir. Am I in trouble?"

"That depends. Did you aim for my head?" Asked Principal Morris.

"Well, no…."

"Then no you're not in trouble," He said tossing him the ball. Now you all get back to your game. And be careful this time." The kids said their thanks for him returning their ball and ran back to the field to finish their game. Instead of going back inside Principal Morris sat on one of the benches and watched the game. After spending hours handling piles of paper work, he thought of this as a well-deserved break.

He game lasted for fifteen more minutes and, to TJ's dismay, his team won by a landslide. As the others on his team celebrated their victory, TJ marched over to the opposing team with the full intention of showing his frustration.

"Hey," He said getting the attention of the team's leader, Lawson. "I thought I told you not to go easy on us!"

"We didn't," Lawson said. "You guys just played a good game."

"Like I'm supposed to believe that. Our games are always close! You didn't try your best because of me!"

"You should be happy, Detweiler," Lawson said. By now the other players from the game had gather around them to look at what was going on. "You guys won the game. What's your problem?"

"My problem is people like you pitying me!" TJ told him.

"Whatever," he said before turning and walking away. It was in that moment all the frustration and anger that was built up from all the pity TJ received decided to come out in the form of a punch to the back of Lawson's head. Not wanting to be one to lose a fight, Lawson fought back. The two of them had a brief brawl in front of the other students before getting broken up by Principal Morris who saw the whole thing. Because he threw the first punch, TJ was taken inside the school.

**~*~TIME LAPSE~*~**

"It's not even my fault, sir. I don't even remember the fight; I blacked out."

After being dragged off the playground for starting a fight, TJ was trying to talk his way out of getting detention. He sat in the seat in front of the desk in the Principal office while Principal Morris sat in his seat trying to understand the situation.

"I didn't mean to start that fight, it just happened," TJ said. "It was an accident."

"Why did you throw the first punch at all?" Asked the new Principal.

"Since the news about what happened to me got out people have been treating me differently," He explained. "And that was fine for a little while; I understood why. But now it's annoying and I just want everyone to treat me like everyone else and not like I'm some special case. I asked Lawson to not let his team go easy on us just because of me and he didn't. I know he didn't because the games we play against each other are always really close. This time we 'won' by a landslide and I got mad."

"And you decided to punch him?"

"That was reflex, sir."

"Okay, I believe you," Said Principal Morris. "I believe you were overcome with anger and threw a punch." Hearing this made TJ breathe a sigh of relief. "But that does not mean you're not in trouble. You still started a fight. I could keep you after school for three hours for this, but because it's your first offense I'll only give you detention for one hour instead. I don't want to see you in another fight, understand?"

"Yes sir," TJ said standing up.

"Good. Now you should get to class. Recess is going to be over any minute."

**~*~FIVE MINUTES LATER~*~**

"So did you get in trouble?"

"Yeah but I only got detention."

As TJ walked down the hall, the bell signaling the end of recess rang. Halfway to class he met up with his friends who were wondering how much trouble he had gotten into. Since they all knew they couldn't talk the second they got into class, they were talking just outside of the classroom.

"Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you guys," TJ said, stopping in front of the door to the classroom. "No therapy tomorrow. Dr. Million has to go to some convention and he can't be here for the session." He rest of the group cheered in relief; therapy was long and I always seemed like every session only made things worse, so this break was needed. After they expressed how happy hey were for that they made their way into the class to finish the rest of the day.

**~*~AFTER SCHOOL~*~**

Time passed much too fast for anyone's taste, and the group found themselves standing in front of the cafeteria doors where detention was always held. Like so many times before TJ entered the cafeteria saying goodbye to the others as he prepared to serve his one hour sentence. Because Ms. Finster always held detention they all expected her to be there along with a few other students that happened to be in detention as well. Instead he group saw her there talking to the new principal before she left.

"What's going on?" TJ asked as he and the others approached Principal Morris.

"Ms. Finster can't cover detention," Principal Morris said. "And apparently no one else is available to take her place so I have to cover. Hope you don't mind."

"No, I guess not…" said TJ, unsure of what to say. The principal nodded before he walked away.

"Uh, TJ," Gus said tapping on his shoulder. "Are you sure you're okay with him watching you?"

"Yeah," Said TJ. "He's okay. He's not like Prickly. I'll see you guy's tomorrow." After saying their goodbyes the group split with the majority headed out of the school and TJ sat down at one of the table in the lunch room. He looked around the room for any other students who had detention but didn't see anyone. However he did see a large pile of papers that Principal Morris was standing next to and sorting through.

Like all the other times he spent in detention TJ didn't want to be there and he was looking for a way out. It seemed easier now than the other times; Principal Morris was new and because he threw out his records he didn't know the full extent of what he could do. Climbing out the window looked like best and easiest option. TJ waited until Principal Morris had his back turned and dropped to the floor. Quickly he crawled over to an open window and after looking to see he wasn't being watched began to climb out.

"Don't even try it, Detweiler," Principal Morris said with his back still turned. "Sit back down."

"How did you see?" TJ asked making his way back to his seat. "You had your back turned!"

"I have eyes on the back of my head," Said Principal Morris. "I'm not an amateur." For the next twenty minute TJ make multiple attempts to escape. Each time was more complex than the last but he continued to get caught. After his fifth attempt he decided to just sit and go through detention the way it was intended; long, and dreadfully painful. Sighing, he slammed his head against the table in defeat.

"You know," Principal Morris began. "Instead of moping around you could be doing your homework. Get that over with so you won't have to do it at home."

"I don't understand it," Said TJ. "It's too confusing so I'm not gonna do it."

"That's not good," Said the Principal. "You need to do your homework. I was a teacher for fifteen years, want me to help?"

**~*~MEANWHILE~*~**

"What do you guy's think about the new principal?" Vince asked the rest of the group as they walked down the street.

"I dunno," Spinelli said. "I know he's new and everything but you can't be too sure after the last one."

"Well TJ said he was okay," Said Mikey. "And remember when he was called to the Principal's office and he said that Principal Morris cleared our records? He can't be _that_ bad."

"I think after going what he did, he would know if something was going to happen," Gus said.

"I guess so," Said Spinelli. "You guys wanna come over my house and watch cartoons?" There was collective agreement and they all headed to her house.

"Hey kids," Mr. Detweiler said as they passed TJ's house. "Where's TJ?"

"He has detention with the new principal," Vince told him.

"Oh. Alright then." Said Mr. Detweiler. The kids continued their way down the block to Spinelli's house but only made it half way before hearing tires scratching against the pavement. Turning around they watched as TJ's parents spend down the street in their car towards Third Street.

**~*~MEANWHILE~*~**

"See, where you're messing up is at the exponents. You don't multiply by the exponent but by the number the exponent is next to," Principal Morris explained as he tried to help TJ with his homework. In an attempt to kill the remained time left in his detention, he agreed to try and knock out some of his homework but that was only if he would get help with it.

"I still don't get it," TJ said, confused.

"Okay. See the base number for this problem is 4, and the little number in the corner of it, 5, is the exponent. You keep multiplying by five but you're not supposed to do that," Said the Principal. "You're supposed to multiply 4 five times. Like four times four times four times four times four."

"Oh, I get it," he said, writing on the paper in front of him. "That make's sense. I thought they just came up with another way of writing multiplication 'cause we get these big problems to do now and we need the space—" He was interrupted by his parents running through the door and to his side.

"TJ are you okay?" his mother asked as she hugged him. "He didn't hurt you did he?"

"I'm fine, mom," He said, trying to break free from her tight grasp. "Principal Morris is helping me with my homework."

"Get your things, son," Mr. Detweiler told him. "We're taking you home."

"But Dad—"

"Now, TJ!" Upset over this sudden interruption. He gathered his books and said good-bye to Principal Morris and followed his parents as they left the school.

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><p><strong>Donna Nnov: Yeah he was a little harsh, but it's his first heartbreak. He just wanted someone to blame. I feel bad for making him say it.<strong>

**Reviews are greatly appreciated! **


	16. Inner Mirror

**I'm so slow when it comes to updating this story~ But I have an excuse; I don't completely know what I want to happen. I hope that's a good excuse. I do however do know what I want for this chapter and the next so that's something good. The only problem is finding the motivation since I have so many ideas for future stories and I get distracted so easily. But I will be trying to start updating this story regularly. **

**This chapter takes place on the same day to avoid confusion.**

**Read On!**

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><p>"I swear, nothing happened!"<p>

After being forcefully dragged out of detention by his parents, TJ tried to explain why he wasn't in any danger from being around Principal Morris. On one hand, he did understand why they came in and dragged him out, but on the other, he wasn't in danger, and they should've saw that the second they came in the lunchroom. They were sitting across from each other. They weren't even touching. Still, they made him grab his things and brought him home with a long speech on safety on entertain him. Now he was trying to convince his mom and dad to at least _talk_ to Morris over this misunderstanding, or to at least tell him why they took him home so abruptly.

"We're no hearing any of it, TJ," his mother said as the family sat down the table for dinner. "After having you go through what you did with our last principal we're not taking any chances with the new one."

"But he didn't even do anything!" He protested. "All he was doing was helping me with my homework. He even cleared my permanent record! Shouldn't that be enough proof?"

"That doesn't mean anything," Said his father. "He could've just done that to gain your trust. We would expect him to know how we would feel about you being anywhere near him after what happened."

"Can you at least talk to him then?" TJ asked.

"We'll think about it," His mother told him. "Now eat your dinner. It's getting cold."

After dinner and grudgingly doing his homework, TJ laid on his bed going over what had happened that day. He was really hoping that his parents decided to talk to Principal Morris about what had happened. He did really seem to be a nice guy how deserved another chance. But his parents had a perfectly good reason to panic the way they did. For the time being, it didn't look as if _he_ would be talking to Morris any time soon. With all the thinking that he was doing, TJ didn't notice that he was drifting off the sleep.

**~*~DREAM SEQUENCE~*~**

'Okay, what's with all the weird dreams?' when he realized that he was dreaming, TJ immediately noticed the vast whiteness in front of him. It seemed to go on forever, and there was nothing else in sight so walking to get anywhere looked like a useless endeavor. It seemed cool at first; it could've been one of those dreams where you controlled everything. But after trying to make something out of nothing he knew that wasn't the case.

"Hey!" Someone yelled. Looking around he tried to figure out where it had come from but to no avail. "Try looking behind you."

'This is really weird," he thought as he turned around to face who was talking to him. He didn't see anyone behind him at first but then someone came into sight; himself, dressed on a white sit. "…._What?"_ Was all he could manage to say. If things weren't weird before, they definitely were now. How could he be standing in front of himself? That didn't make any sense. Then again it was a dream, and things didn't necessarily make sense in dreams.

"Hey," Said the figure in front of him. "What's going on?"

"…..nothing much," Said TJ. "Just talking to myself….who are you?"

"I'm you," He said. "I'm your conscience."

"And I'm your common sense!" Another voice yelled. He watched as another figure that looked like him approached and stood next to the previous one. Unlike the one before this one was dressed in all black and had a bandaged wrapped around his head. "I hope you feel better than I do!"

"Don't snap at him like that," his conscience scolded. "I'm doing the talking here. Now, I'm here to have a talk to you."

"With me?" TJ asked him, confused. "Why?"

"Because the guys in the back room are working overtime to deal with everything going on in your head. They figured that if you won't listen to everyone else out there then you would at least listen to yourself," He said. "I'm here to help you get back on track so we don't burn out. He," He paused to point at his common sense. "Is here because he's suffering and likes to whine about it. And the first thing I want to tell you to do is to apologize to your friends 'cause you've treated them like crap when they were trying to help you a month ago. Not cool, dude. It's amazing that they're still around after how you've treated them. So do that tomorrow. Apologize to Dr. Million, too; the guy was only doing his job."

"..Guess I have treated them kinda bad lately…" TJ mumbled. "Anything else?"

"Oh there's plenty," his conscience said with a smile. "I know you, well _we_, liked Chauncey. I get that. I'm mean, the guy was adorable. But he WAS distracting you from focusing on what's more important now. If you don't focus and get through all the damage that out have been forced to endure than it'll come back to bite you when you're older. Just focus on _this_ and everything will be fine. Besides, they'll be plenty of other boys and girls out there, but there won't be another prime time to get better. And you never know, maybe you too can get back together once this is all over."

"You would've realized this on your own but I've been getting knocked on the head lately," His common sense said, putting a bag of ice on his head. "I haven't been able to work for a while now."

"So focus more on getting better," Said TJ. "Got it."

"And don't hesitate to answer questions Dr. Million asks you either. I know they seem uncomfortable to answer but they really are important," Said his conscience. "Because it hasn't _hit_ you what you've been through. It's like you know that it happened, but the severity of it hasn't sunk in yet. You're stubborn like that. When it does, THEN you can truly start to get better. And if I were you instead of just a part of you, I would play on all the pity you're getting. People are willing to do things for you that they wouldn't do otherwise. That's a goldmine to getting a lot of things."

"You're rambling…" Said Common Sense. "And stop telling him to be greedy. That's for his gluttonous side to do and we locked him up for taking over the playground's economy."

"Right, right. So that's basically it," He said. "Just take my advice. Would've told you this earlier but your grown-up and stubborn sides decided to team up and make it extra difficult for anyone of us to talk to you in a dream."

"So what happens now?" TJ asked them. "Do I wake up?"

"You can. Or you can dream. It's only midnight."

"Oh okay. Thanks for the advice."

"No problem." The two of them shook hands before walking off in the opposite directions, but before TJ could get far his conscience called out to him. "Hey I forgot something! You might want to go to the doctor! You're immune system is working nonstop day and night to fight off some virus and they aren't getting anywhere because they don't know what it is! It's getting really bad out there and they need back up to keep fighting!"

"The doctor got it!" He shouted back at them. "Thanks!"

**~*~THE NEXT DAY~*~**

Standing at the bus stop, TJ wondered if what he experienced last night was real. It was just a dream; that much he agreed on. But was that really a part of his mind talking to him? It seemed surreal talking to your own conscience, but what he was told did stick with him. And even if it was just a dream with no meaning behind it, it still helped at least a little bit. He was even going to apologize to his friends on the bus when it came. Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea to focus and get better, or apologize for how he treated people when they were trying to help. Boarding the bus he quickly saw his friends sitting in the back and sat down next to his friends. After saying their hi's, TJ brought up the issue of apologizing.

'Okay, let's get this over with…'

"Hey guys, i wanna tell you something..."

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><p><strong>Ugh, I don't like the way this chapter ended, but still….<strong>

**Please Review!**


	17. Chapter 17

AUTHORS NOTE

It's been a long time since I've updated this story hasn't it?

After reading this story over again, along with the prequel, it is in my opinion that I could've written this much, much better. The numerous inconsistencies make me cringe, and it doesn't help that I wrote this in high school. Between now and then, I feel like my writing skills have improved since then. So here's what I'm going to do, dear readers.

I'm going to rewrite this. I have to. I can't bring myself to continue this story as it is right now. If I were to write this story _now_, it would be very different. The antagonist would be different, the characters would've reacted differently, certain characters would have a much, much smaller role, and their might not have been a sequel at all.

So that's what I'm going to do. A rewrite. I'm going to keep this story up in the meantime, but expect a rewrite in the future.


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